By R. Marshall
Pittsboro, NC – There have been many catalytic converter thefts from cars in north Chatham county recently. Toyota Prius has been the main target, and other hybrid vehicles may also be at risk. The thieves saw them free from the underside of your car in a couple of minutes. The converters are sold to scrap metal dealers who reclaim the very expensive rare metals they contain like platinum, rhodium, and palladium. The New York Times reported an eight-fold increase in these incidents in 2020, perhaps related to COVID economic stresses.
It will cost several thousand dollars to replace mine which was stolen during the night last Wednesday or Thursday (February 10 or 11). This is the fourth that has been taken from the Galloway Ridge parking lot in the last couple of weeks. I understand that eight were stolen in Moncure last week. So please be alert if you own a hybrid car.
Feel free to share any information you might have to help us stop those who are doing this.